08/12/2023 (Agence Europe) – The EU Anti-Coercion Instrument was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Thursday 7 December, having been approved in its final form by the EU Council and Parliament. This regulation should enable the EU to impose countermeasures on a third country that exercises economic coercion over the Union or one of its Member States (see EUROPE 13195/1). It is primarily intended to act as a deterrent, but it also allows the EU to adopt countermeasures, such as imposing trade restrictions, exclusion from European programmes or restrictions on access to EU public procurement contracts. The adoption of the text and its entry into force mark a milestone in the EU’s new, more defensive trade policy. The regulation will officially come into force on 27 December. To see the text: https://aeur.eu/f/a2k (IS)